H.—3l

10

APPENDICES.

APPENDIX I.—PUBLIC HEALTH. General Statistics for the Year 1910.

PART I. VITAL STATISTICS. A. GENERAL. For the following statistics relating to birth, death-rates, infant mortality, and causes of death the Department is indebted to the returns of the Registrar-General. They relate to the year 1910. Births. The number of births registered during 1910 was 25,984, or 26'17 in every 1,000 persons living. The number is 540 less than that for the year 1909, a decrease of 2'04 per cent., and the rate lower by Tl2 per thousand. From 1882 until the year 1899 there was a regular fall in the rate. The births registered in the year numbered 19,846 in 1884, and, after falling to 17,876 in 1892, have risen to the number first stated above. The number of male children born during 1910 was 13,442, and of female children 12,542. The following table shows the number registered, the birth-rate calculated on the total population, and comparison with the average rate for 1882-86 taken as 100. Indications of a gradual increase are apparent, the improvement since 1899 being 4*lB per cent, on the rate per 1,000 in that year.

Births, Number and Rate.

The average number of children to a marriage may be ascertained by comparing the number of legitimate births for a series of years with the marriages, but commencing with the marriages in the year preceding that for which the first number of births is taken. Calculating in this way the figures for the twenty-year period 1891-1910 show a decline from 4-64 to 3-09 as below : — Proportion of Births Marriages Legitimate to every Year. Marriages. Births. Marriage solemnized in the Preceding Year. 1890 ... ... ... ... 3,797 1891 ... ... ... ... 3,805 17,635 4-64 1892 ... ... ... ... 4,002 17,283 4-54 1893 4,115 17,514 4-37 1894 ... ... ... ... 4,178 17,824 4*33 1895 ... ... ... ... 4,110 17,711 4-24 1896 4,843 17,778 4-32 1897 ... ... ... ... 4,928 17,911 370 1898 ... ... ... ... 5,091 18,154 3*68 1899 ... ... ... ... 5,461 18,066 3*54 1900 ... ... ... ... ... 18,640 3-41 1900 ... ... ... ... 5,860 1901 ... ... ... ... 6,095 19,554 3-34 1902 ... ... ... ... 6,394 19,734 3-23 1903 ... ... ... ... 6,748 20,835 326

Birth-rate. Birtl i-rate. Year Total Number of Births p , p™ Compared registered. , with Rate in i - , .. 1882-86 i Populat.on. , taken as 1(M) I I Year. j Total Number of Births registered. I Per 1,000 of Population. Compared with Rate in 1882-86 taken as 100. 1882-86 1887 1888 1880 is; ii i 1891 1892 1893 1891 1895 1896 1897 19,410 19,135 18.902 18.-157 18,278 18.273 17,87i; 18,187 18.528 18.546 18.612 18.737 ! 35-40 32-09 31-22 30-07 -.'9-11 29-01 27-83 27-5U 27 28 26-78 26-33 25-96 100 O 88 85 83 82 79 78 77 76 74 73 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 18,955 18,835 19,546 20,491 20,655 21.829 22.766 23.682 24,252 25.09 I 25,940 26,524 25.981 25-74 25-12 25-60 26-34 25-89 26-61 26-94 27-22 27-08 27-30 27-15 27-29 26-17 73 71 72 74 73 75 76 77 76 77 77 77 71